Friday, March 11, 2011
Philippines Tsunami Evacuation
After the big earthquake hit Japan triggering a tsunami the Philippines is now ordering tsunami evacuation as the tsunami's 3-foot-waves are expected to hit the northern coast, according to Yahoo News.
Yahoo writes:
Philippine Volcanology and Seismology Institute director Renato Solidum says the first 3-foot (1-meter) high waves are expected to hit the northernmost Batanes islands by 5 p.m. (09:00 GMT) Friday.
Disaster management officials in Albay province southeast of Manila say they have ordered residents to move to designated evacuation sites that are at least 15 feet (5 meters) above sea level.
Japan's Earthquake and Destruction
CNN reports that the earthquake in Japan is the largest it has had in over 100 years - it has killed hundreds of people and collapsed many buildings. The earthquake has also brought on a tsunami which adds to the devastation.
CNN writes:
Friday's quake is the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S. Geologic Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6-magnitude earthquake that struck near the Chubu Region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707, that may have killed 5,000 people, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.
The quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. (12:46 a.m. ET), prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at least 50 countries and territories, although initial reports as the waves hit outside of Japan indicated no damage.
The epicenter of the main quake Friday was off Miyagi Prefecture, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
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| Photo taken from Bharat Chronicle |
Japanese broadcasters reported collapsed buildings, power outages and transportation disruptions throughout Japan. In Tokyo, 230 miles from the hardest-hit areas, rail service was suspended, elevated highways were shut down early Saturday and surface streets remained jammed as commuters continued trying to get to their homes in outlying areas
There is a lot of commotion around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, because the emergency cooling system has not been working and there is fear for a meltdown as reported by the LA Times.
The shut down of over 18 percent of all plants has caused much of the electricity in Japan to be shut down.
President Barack Obama has offered condolences and assistance to Japan.
CNN writes:
"I offer our Japanese friends whatever assistance is needed," he said during a news conference. "Today's events remind us how fragile life can be."
Obama said Friday that the main U.S. assistance to Japan for now would probably be "lift capacity" in the form of heavy equipment to help clean up damaged infrastructure.
The U.S. government is taking inventory of how many military personnel are in Japan to provide help, he said, adding that American citizens in Japan will also receive assistance.
Obama called the earthquake and tsunami "a potentially catastrophic disaster," saying the images of destruction were "simply heartbreaking."
The following is video footage from Japan:
Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Update - Phil Tagami Video Part 1
On Tuesday, this blogger visited California Commercial Investments Managing Partner Phil Tagami, who has been a friend of mine since 1990.
Tagami is the developer of the Fox Theater (where such groups as Coldplay and Green Day have performed) and The Rotunda (both in Downtown Oakland), sat down to talk with me about the progress his team, including AMB Realty, is making on the redevelopment of The Oakland Army Base in West Oakland into in a new town and facility called Oakland Global. The 300-acre project's in what is technically called an "Exclusive Negotiating Period," as of this writing.
It's a weird deal in that Phil's team could do a lot of work, from environmental studies to infrastructure planning, and still lose the right to continue the "ENA." There's no sign of that happening, however, and if it does, the City doesn't have a viable "second act" to effectively complete the work.
Print that.
Here's the Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Update video, which is 33 minutes long in total. This is blog post is "part one," because our talk is filled with jargon that has to be explained for the lay viewer, and will be in a follow up post. This blog post presents our talk. Here's the video:
Stay tuned.
Tagami is the developer of the Fox Theater (where such groups as Coldplay and Green Day have performed) and The Rotunda (both in Downtown Oakland), sat down to talk with me about the progress his team, including AMB Realty, is making on the redevelopment of The Oakland Army Base in West Oakland into in a new town and facility called Oakland Global. The 300-acre project's in what is technically called an "Exclusive Negotiating Period," as of this writing.
It's a weird deal in that Phil's team could do a lot of work, from environmental studies to infrastructure planning, and still lose the right to continue the "ENA." There's no sign of that happening, however, and if it does, the City doesn't have a viable "second act" to effectively complete the work.
Print that.
Here's the Oakland Army Base Redevelopment Update video, which is 33 minutes long in total. This is blog post is "part one," because our talk is filled with jargon that has to be explained for the lay viewer, and will be in a follow up post. This blog post presents our talk. Here's the video:
Stay tuned.
Huge Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunami
The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan this morning was the 2nd this week, and triggered a Tsunami that has already passed the coast of Kauai, as coastal evacuations proceed in Oregon, Washington, and California. President Barack Obama has already offered help to the people of Japan, and has a news conference scheduled for later this morning."Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the people of Japan, particularly those who have lost loved ones in the earthquake and tsunamis..."
U.S. President Barack Obama
Twitter is sluggish as the information flows; the two best hashtags are #japan and #tsunami as of now. Further information, including how to help, is available via CrisisWiki.org
Obama offers help to #Japan after quake, FEMA and Coast Guard ready in states as CA and OR opt for #tsunami evacs http://bit.ly/hFG2Wa
Record 8.9 earthquake, 2nd quake in 3 days, hits japan, triggering tsunami. http://reut.rs/ehpuKV Hawaii evacs in progress
Political Correspondent 
Thomas Hayes is a former Congressional Campaign Manager; he's a journalist, communications consultant, photo/videographer, entrepreneur, and union supporter who contributes regularly on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.
Thomas Hayes is a former Congressional Campaign Manager; he's a journalist, communications consultant, photo/videographer, entrepreneur, and union supporter who contributes regularly on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.Tsunami Warning For West Coast After Japan's Massive Earthquake
Japan suffered a massive 8.9 on the Richter Scale Earthquake that MSNBC's reporting to be, as of this writing, one of the fifth largest in history.
The quake caused a 12-foot tsunami in the port city of Kamishi and its tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo, over 400 miles away. The sheer magnitude of the quake, which has killed 17 people as of this blog post, is such that tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii and for the entire United States West Coast.
Tsunami warning sirens have been sounded in Honolulu after the quake, and the first waves are expected to reach Hawaiian shores at 8 AM Island Standard Time. About 1 meter of waves are expected
The Japan Quake, which struck at 2:46 PM local time in Japan, hit 129 miles off the coast, and resulted in the first giant waves sweeping whole portions of Japanese farmland away, and washing large 18-wheel trucks in its path. The video images are horrifying. Here's some of them from YouTube:
The epicenter of the quake was near the town of Sendai. The airport there is pretty much under water.
AlJazeeraEnglish on YouTube has continued live coverage and videos of the Japan Earthquake and tsunamis. Here's a video:
Stay tuned.
The quake caused a 12-foot tsunami in the port city of Kamishi and its tremors shook buildings in the capital Tokyo, over 400 miles away. The sheer magnitude of the quake, which has killed 17 people as of this blog post, is such that tsunami warnings have been issued for Hawaii and for the entire United States West Coast.
Tsunami warning sirens have been sounded in Honolulu after the quake, and the first waves are expected to reach Hawaiian shores at 8 AM Island Standard Time. About 1 meter of waves are expected
The Japan Quake, which struck at 2:46 PM local time in Japan, hit 129 miles off the coast, and resulted in the first giant waves sweeping whole portions of Japanese farmland away, and washing large 18-wheel trucks in its path. The video images are horrifying. Here's some of them from YouTube:
The epicenter of the quake was near the town of Sendai. The airport there is pretty much under water.
AlJazeeraEnglish on YouTube has continued live coverage and videos of the Japan Earthquake and tsunamis. Here's a video:
Stay tuned.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
NFL Fans Should Pay For Their Tickets, Not Stadiums
By David Levy-Fan Experience Reporter-Football Reporters Online
The Georgia Dome in Atlanta remains a perfectly fine building for professional football. Still a teenager, it is nowhere near long in the tooth. Capacity is enough to accommodate nearly every Atlanta Falcons fan willing to buy tickets.
Arthur Blank, the team owner, craves a new stadium. That seems akin to trading in your car after it has logged only 20,000 miles, but he can well afford it. Blank, the former owner of the ubiquitous American home improvement store chain called The Home Depot, has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to Forbes, and the franchise value has risen 52 per cent since he bought it in 2002 for $545 million.
But wait. Blank expects the quasi-public agency that operates the Dome and the proposed site of a new stadium to issue bonds that would pay some of the costs. That should be 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, sticking it to taxpayers at the same time that funding for public schools in Georgia is being cut.
This sickness is spreading among NFL team owners. In Minnesota, the Vikings' Zygi Wilf has capitalized on the collapse of the Metrodome's inflatable roof amid a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm and the fear of the franchise relocating to Los Angeles in his campaign for a replacement stadium. Of course, citizens would contribute to the project. Never mind that Blank might expect Wilf, worth $1.3bn, to pick up their lunch bill.
The shameless nonchalance of these folks who seem detached from reality has generated a shifting of the winds. We have already experienced it here in New York and New Jersey.
The public, which normally sides with management during labor disputes in American sports, is sympathetic toward the players in a stand-off with owners that has pushed the league to the brink of a lockout. In a poll conducted by Seton Hall University, 35 per cent who participated backed the players, compared to 22 per cent for their bosses. This, even though the same study found that most contend the players are overpaid.
Taxpayers are increasingly fed up with being forced to become stadium-erecting partners with Rolex-wearing, yacht-sailing jet-setters. Economists nowadays agree on little, but one belief they share is that public support of professional sports offers almost nothing financially in return.
The Giants and Jets grew tired of their shared arena and convinced the government to pitch in for a new-and-improved one. The old Giants Stadium was torn down despite carrying more than $100m in debt that must be paid off by the good people of New Jersey. Plus, the season ticket holders are also helping flip the bill on the new one with PSL's. Isn't that double dipping? The nerve!
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stands complicit in this wasteful building boom. From his office comes a wink-nod promise of the ultimate in ego gratification for owners: host your own Super Bowl! Just throw up a stadium and you will get the big game. How you bankroll it, that's your business.
Which explains why the 2014 Super Bowl was awarded to New Meadowlands in a region where the average low temperature in February is -2°C. Which also explains why 22 of 32 teams have moved into fresh digs or had their existing ones totally made over in the last two decades.
In that time, teams have been blessed with more than $7bn in taxpayer subsidies for construction and renovation, according to the NFL Players' Association.
The players union reports that, on average, taxpayers put up 65 per cent of the financing for those projects. Owners found a way to avoid putting in any money for 10 of them; for nine others, their contribution amounted to less than 25 per cent.
Further driving public sentiment toward the players are reports on the sport's inherent physical risk, particularly for victims of post-concussive syndrome that has ravaged retirees. Fans are looking beyond the average salary of $1.9m and discovering other statistics:
$770,000, the median yearly pay. Three-and-a-half years, the average length of career. Eleven, the average number of players per team on injured reserve this past season.
While many of us might trade places with the players, the figures show that most of them accumulate more aches and pains than enough wealth to last them a lifetime.
For team owners, it is a different story. Admittance into the club all but guarantees going from rich to richer, experienced from the comfort of a stadium luxury suite.
Fine. That is the American way. But those who knock on government doors seeking handouts to finance mostly unnecessary arenas should instead heed the marketing message aimed at customers of Blank's old home improvement stores.
Do it yourself.
Follow me Twitter @LevysBakeryProd or at LevysBakeryProductions.com
The Georgia Dome in Atlanta remains a perfectly fine building for professional football. Still a teenager, it is nowhere near long in the tooth. Capacity is enough to accommodate nearly every Atlanta Falcons fan willing to buy tickets.
Arthur Blank, the team owner, craves a new stadium. That seems akin to trading in your car after it has logged only 20,000 miles, but he can well afford it. Blank, the former owner of the ubiquitous American home improvement store chain called The Home Depot, has a net worth of $1.2 billion, according to Forbes, and the franchise value has risen 52 per cent since he bought it in 2002 for $545 million.
But wait. Blank expects the quasi-public agency that operates the Dome and the proposed site of a new stadium to issue bonds that would pay some of the costs. That should be 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, sticking it to taxpayers at the same time that funding for public schools in Georgia is being cut.
This sickness is spreading among NFL team owners. In Minnesota, the Vikings' Zygi Wilf has capitalized on the collapse of the Metrodome's inflatable roof amid a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm and the fear of the franchise relocating to Los Angeles in his campaign for a replacement stadium. Of course, citizens would contribute to the project. Never mind that Blank might expect Wilf, worth $1.3bn, to pick up their lunch bill.
The shameless nonchalance of these folks who seem detached from reality has generated a shifting of the winds. We have already experienced it here in New York and New Jersey.
The public, which normally sides with management during labor disputes in American sports, is sympathetic toward the players in a stand-off with owners that has pushed the league to the brink of a lockout. In a poll conducted by Seton Hall University, 35 per cent who participated backed the players, compared to 22 per cent for their bosses. This, even though the same study found that most contend the players are overpaid.
Taxpayers are increasingly fed up with being forced to become stadium-erecting partners with Rolex-wearing, yacht-sailing jet-setters. Economists nowadays agree on little, but one belief they share is that public support of professional sports offers almost nothing financially in return.
The Giants and Jets grew tired of their shared arena and convinced the government to pitch in for a new-and-improved one. The old Giants Stadium was torn down despite carrying more than $100m in debt that must be paid off by the good people of New Jersey. Plus, the season ticket holders are also helping flip the bill on the new one with PSL's. Isn't that double dipping? The nerve!
Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, stands complicit in this wasteful building boom. From his office comes a wink-nod promise of the ultimate in ego gratification for owners: host your own Super Bowl! Just throw up a stadium and you will get the big game. How you bankroll it, that's your business.
Which explains why the 2014 Super Bowl was awarded to New Meadowlands in a region where the average low temperature in February is -2°C. Which also explains why 22 of 32 teams have moved into fresh digs or had their existing ones totally made over in the last two decades.
In that time, teams have been blessed with more than $7bn in taxpayer subsidies for construction and renovation, according to the NFL Players' Association.
The players union reports that, on average, taxpayers put up 65 per cent of the financing for those projects. Owners found a way to avoid putting in any money for 10 of them; for nine others, their contribution amounted to less than 25 per cent.
Further driving public sentiment toward the players are reports on the sport's inherent physical risk, particularly for victims of post-concussive syndrome that has ravaged retirees. Fans are looking beyond the average salary of $1.9m and discovering other statistics:
$770,000, the median yearly pay. Three-and-a-half years, the average length of career. Eleven, the average number of players per team on injured reserve this past season.
While many of us might trade places with the players, the figures show that most of them accumulate more aches and pains than enough wealth to last them a lifetime.
For team owners, it is a different story. Admittance into the club all but guarantees going from rich to richer, experienced from the comfort of a stadium luxury suite.
Fine. That is the American way. But those who knock on government doors seeking handouts to finance mostly unnecessary arenas should instead heed the marketing message aimed at customers of Blank's old home improvement stores.
Do it yourself.
Follow me Twitter @LevysBakeryProd or at LevysBakeryProductions.com
Orb Networks Apple TV Killer Makes Home Digital Entertainment Simple
And you don't even need a digital television or stereo set.
As the video below, will show (get a cup of coffee and relax because it's 22 minutes long) Mr. Costello and his staff have made a smooth looking, wel, orb called The Orb Caster, that connects with your existing television or stereo and allows you to call up (as an example) videos from any YouTube channel, or Hulu, or ESPN 3, just to give some examples of video sources.
But you can show not only videos, but photos from your smartphone or online platform, too. In fact, Joe demonstrates this in the video.
As you will see, you download the smartphone app that "calls" the Orb Caster from the Orb Networks website.
Here's the video:
Joe Costello is no stranger to the digital space. The former boardmember of Oracle, and CEO of Cadence (which became the world's supplier of Electronic Design Automation or "EDA" software), Joe's an energetic man who's youthful exuberance for his products and company is infectious.
Costello is a great model for any startup entrepreneur because he feels and believes in what he's doing, and knows he's got something that can change how people live in their homes. (And on top of that, he invested in the company himself. The origin of Orb Networks goes back about five years and before Costello; that story's a blog post in itself.)
Orb Networks Blue-Ray
Joe's also excited about his newest offering, the Orb Networks Orb BR software, where "BR" means "Blue Ray." He says "The combined cost of a Blu-ray player and Orb BR software is less expensive
than most of the other Internet TV solutions, like Boxee and Google TV,
while providing more capabilities." In fact, at $19.99 Costello's got a point. In fact, all of the Orb Networks products are competitively priced. The Orb TV is $99 and the Orb Music Player is $79.
It's the same price as Apple TV but with one big difference: the smartphone is the controller, whereas you have to enable Apple's AirPlay provision to use your iPhone with Apple TV. And even with that, some have complained the ability to stream videos from platforms like YouTube isn't yet "fully baked" on Apple TV.
Check out Orb at http://www.orb.com.
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